Having arrived at Tumut (as
related in our last issue), they pitched their camp on the bank of the river,
and by dint of hard labor, built a slab house fenced a small paddock, and put
some land under wheat for their own use, Sydney being their nearest market.

Once a year my father or his brother in company with, some of the few
settlers then in the neighbourhood, drove a bullock
team down for twelve months' supplies.

Eight bullocks was considered a good team,
and if they were fortunate in not losing any bullocks, did the trip down in
three or four weeks.

Between 1840 and '50 my father drove his team to Sydney and took two
tons of wool, for which he received 10/per cwt., which was considered a good
price.

He got loading from stores In George Street; which was all hills and
hollows, no forming having been done; and the buildings were low, with
shingled roofs. Most of the shop's were kept by Jews
who pestered you to buy.

There was a toll-bar on Brickfield Hill und another one on Lansdowne
Bridge at Liverpool, where you bad to pay. In the event of' teams being
delayed, and running short of flour, those at home put their wheat through a
little steel mill and sifted it in a primitive way, but it made good
wholesome bread.

The Gold Fever.

In 1851, my father married, and the same year he started for the
diggings at Beechworth; crossing the Murray at
Albury, then a very small town. Wodonga was then a
cattle station. When he reached Beechworth, there
were only about a hundred men there, and a policeman granted the licenses for
mining for which the charge was 30/ per month.

The rush started soon after he got there, nine to ten thousand being
on the field. Later on he witnessed a big riot, when twelve policemen and two
commissioners were run off the field, and pelted with stones, owing to the
excessive cost of the license, which was afterwards reduced to 10/per month.

My father remained seven weeks on Beechworth,
and decided to go home for Christmas, he, then having, secured nineteen
pounds' weight of gold: intending to return after a spell, thinking he would
find no trouble in striking another patch us good. He gave his claim to a
mate, who told him afterwards he got £600 out of it.

After Christmas he returned to the diggings, but falling to strike
gold after sinking a couple of holes, he returned to Yallowin.
Before leaving the field, he sold one of his horses for £29, and the buyer
lost him and told my father if he overtook him to keep him. To his surprise
the horse was at Tumut before he got there. The country was not fenced
then. The old horse was kept on the station till he died of old age, and he
was the one al the older members of the family learned to ride on.

Kiandra's Gold Rush.

The gold rush to Kiandra took place soon after his return from Beechworth; he did not try his luck on that field, but
supplied the butchers with a good number of fat cattle. He related that the
excitement of the rush was so great that the roadway passing their house was
like a busy street. All sorts of conveyances were in use, and packs were
carried on horses, cattle and dogs.

He saw one party of father, mother and six children and a Newfoundland
dog, each member of the party carrying a swag, and
the dog doing his share by bearing a load in saddle bags. Not, long after the
rush started snow began to fall, which drove nearly everyone away from the
place for the time being.

Fully two thousand people were camped on the creek at the foot of
Talbingo, six miles from my father's place, waiting for the winter to pass to
permit of them returning to the field.

During their stay, lawlessness was rife there,
one murder being committed, and afterwards stills were to be found in almost
inaccessible places. When the summer came, fully ten thousand people flocked
to Kiandra, and the usual proportion suffered
disappointment. Yet there were some very rich deposits found.

Low Priced Cattle.

Before the discovery of gold, cattle were of little value. My father
sent one hundred big aged bullocks to market, most of them fat, and they
brought 12/ per head; and that then was considered good value. It was seldom that cattle from Yallowin was
sent away for sale. Those that were not used by them for meat,
died of old age.

Father Therry, ex-priest, owned a station
near Yass, and he only branded every two years, and then he used to cull out
all the weedy ones and kill them; on one occasion he destroyed one thousand
head.

Sheep were of equal value.

A man named Caracs purchased 2000 and put
them on part of Yallowin in charge of an assigned
servant, who acted as shepherd for eighteen months, when his ticket of leave
expired. He then left, the sheep having become affected with a scab, and an
inspector came along and destroyed the lot. The quotations for cattle my
father left:- Before gold was discovered, in Sydney,
fat bullocks 20/ per head; three year old 14/, 2 years 10/.